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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

When Cowboy Lingo Ruled the West

I love writing about the old west.
That was when men were men and women were women, but a cowboy wasn’t a
cowboy unless he was wild, woolly and full of fleas. Of course the heroes
we write about are more likely to be tall, dark and handsome, which may be
a bit of a tall tale or whizzer. But as far as the lingo goes,
there’s no reason to stretch the blanket —and yes-siree-bob,
that’s part of the fun.

Today’s language seems rather dull
compared to the colorful expressions and words of yesteryear. Can you
think of more mouth-pleasing words than hornswoggle, caboodle or
skedaddle? Or what about fiddlefooted, ranktankerous, rumbumptious
or splendiferous?A
latte may be the haute
cuisine of coffee, but give me an Arbuckle’s any day.

A know-it-all has a saddle to fit
every horse, and if someone called you a drowned horse it meant you had a
bloated ego. And when was the last time you heard the weather man
describe a dust storm as Oklahoma rain? Cowboys didn’t just
work together they were in cahoots, and if you want to ride your horse
fast, you'll either have to burn the breeze or ride a blue streak.

The rebellious part of me delights
that my characters can use such words as “ain’t” and “druther” without being
cut down. My eighth grade English teacher would have had a fit. Of
course, back in the 1800s, she’d be more likely to have a conniption (any way
you call it, it serves her right for branding me with an F).

When a cowboy said “hell on
wheels” he wasn’t talking about no bikers (double negatives welcome). He
was talking about movable towns that followed the building of railroads.

Job hunters could take a lesson from
an old buckaroo who claimed to be born in a hurricane and could handle anything
that came his way. A cowboy didn’t have work experience but he sure
did have wrinkles on the horn. He was also a firm believer that
every bull should carry its own tail. Think you’re right for the
job? I’m your huckleberry meant I’m your man. Write that on your
resume.

Want to impress someone with your
courage? Tell them you know how to die standing up. Someone dallying too
long in the chow line? Yell at them to fire and fall back. Fallen off the
straight and narrow? What you need is a fire escape (a cowboy’s
name for a preacher). Feeling spooney? You haven’t lived
until you’ve lallygagged on a sparking bench with your beau.

Criminals were called gangs,
and a bad guy was a desperado, cattle thief, gunman or roughneck.
Anyone caught messing with the sheriff was escorted to the hoosegow
immediately, if not sooner.

Finally, a word of wisdom to all you
greenhorns out there. Get a wiggle on and chew the cud but stay away
from conversation fluid (whiskey).

www.margaret-brownley.com

Tell us a favorite saying, word or phrase from your childhood and you'll make us as happy as a dog with two tails.

I remember my family was always concerned about "spontaneous combustion." Anyone remember that?

How the West Was Fun

Another
Pinkerton Lady Detective is on the case. This time the female operative
masquerades as a mail-order bride. Pretty funny overall plot to begin
with, so expect some fun reading while the detective team attempts to
unmask a pair of train robbers and murderers.

That's how Margaret
Brownley writes. Western mystery with humor rolling throughout, like
tumbleweeds on Main Street. -Harold Wolf on Amazon

Love the post, Miss Margaret! I love, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," or "it's tighter than Dick's hat band!" And I knew a lady that always said, "lands of Goshen" instead of good grief or my goodness. mauback55 at gmail dot com

Here all this time I thought a dust storm was New Mexico rain. Growing up on the plains around Lovington, New Mexico we experienced ankle sand burns from the prairie winds. Shindigs weren't complete without having to hold down the grub and eatin' irons. I can remember when "fagged out" simply meant worn-out or fatigued. Dad always called any disturbance a "fuss." Thanks for the interesting post.

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